Three Little Words: An Alternative New Year’s Resolution

It’s been a long time since I have, but I know that many people still embrace the start of a new year and how it offers the possibility of starting afresh. All I remember of my old resolutions is how easy it is to slide back into those old habits and ways, and end up right back where we started, with a little side measure of self-loathing for “failing” again to keep our resolutions.

Why do we do it? Why do we make resolutions we know we will never keep?

Perhaps the reason we stumble and fall short of the ideals to which we aspire, is often because we make the wrong resolutions, resolutions focussed on what we don’t like about ourselves. Instead, why not think about bringing alive something in you that wants to express itself?

Start this new year by identifying something deep inside your soul that you want to nurture in 2014. Think about what would be different about your life, if this aspect of your being was encouraged to come alive.

Over the past few years there has been a movement in the blogosphere to choose three words to be your guide for what you intend to focus on in the coming year. Examples have included, resilience, courage, wonder, simplicity, gratitude.

So what three words would you choose to guide you in the coming year? Why not share it with us here and let us encourage each other in our hopes and dreams for a new year.

What a wonderful challenge, Marie, although it took much time and I am still not sure I am thrilled with the words I came up–but it is January 1st and now or never! They are: Healing; Flexibility; and Mastery. A happy, meaningful, and, of course, HEALTHY NEW Year to all.

My words would be compassion, growth and peace. ……and perhaps there should be another one about not drinking so much champagne! Sore head today;-). Wishing you all that you wish yourselves this wonderful new year…it’s all to create. Ax

Last year I made a picture board, and it guided me very well, so this year I plan on doing the same. The visual reminder is a good way to see the vibes I want to produce, and quietly sets myself in those directions. ~Catherine

I want and need this as I march into 2014 determined to be kind, loving, and compassionate, especially to the man with whom I am still crazy-in-love after 65 years, 3 months, and 20 days, and who needs me now more than ever.

Oh wow, an excellent post,and a very encouraging and needed one to start off the year!
I love your justification and solution as to why we keep conjuring New Year’s resolutions that we stubbornly ignore. I really loved it. It was one of those statements that sounded obvious, but never seemed to cross many of our minds.

My words would be Focus, Patience, and Strong Desire. I want to emphasize the last one; I learned that it is because I did not have a strong desire, I dismissed my endeavors throughout the year. I must truly want it to get myself to act upon it. With that comes patience. I must keep in mind that not everything will be easy, and that as long as I tenaciously walk towards my goals, I will some day reach there. Lastly, to be able to keep any of my words, I must focus.

Thank you for the great post, and I look forward to reading more posts from you!

LOVED reading all your word choices – simplicity, joy, compassion, health, healing, patience, focus, love – wonderful choices to guide the coming days. Wishing all of us courage, grace and good health to tackle whatever this year has in store for us.

This is my slightly twisted shorthand for reminding myself to pause and ask myself before saying YES to any request, favour, demand, invitation: “Is this what I really want to be doing?” and of course: “Are these the people I really want to be spending my time with?” There are so many times in life that we have to ignore the answers to such questions (when family members are ill, for example) but also a significant number of times when I know I tend to say YES to opportunities that could quite easily be passed on. I know that when I do remember these important questions, the outcomes can feel just right.

Thanks so much Marie for this wise reminder and Happy New Year to you.
regards,
C.

I finally found my 3 words (after majorly struggling to find ones for 2013 and never being able settle on a single one!). my words are Resilience, Grace, and Reinvention. my journey through new widowhood, cancer, and what feels like a jumbled loss of my identity is spurring me on to looking forward, to integrating what being a widow and a second time cancer patient is in the bigger picture of who I am, and what I wish to be. grief is overwhelming and it will have it’s way with me for a long time. I can’t just sit still and wait for the parts of my self that feel overshadowed to emerge – I have make it happen in the time I have between being caught up in grief’s consuming, great maw and during the times I am untethered from my chemo and all things cancer. i want to be more like the Resilience of a reed, bowing and swaying to the gentle breezes – and not as though i am anchored and defined by grief and cancer. i want to create the new life i know is waiting for me, the one i will reinvent, the one that calls out to me to tap into my life-long vein of creativity – thus the choice of Reinvention over re-wiring. and i want to focus on Grace, that gift we get, that lovely, unexpected infusion of love, light, insight, serendipity so i can FEEL it, be consumed with gratitude for it, and perhaps share it with others.

Hmmm – i think i know, just by writing this comment, why i couldn’t settle on 3 little words for over a year. verbosity. what can i say…i struggle!

much love and light to you Marie, and to all the others who’ve left their inspiring comments on their own 3 little words,

Karen, these are beautiful words – you already embody grace and resilience for me and I hope that in your quest for reinvention I can support you in some way albeit from a distance. wishing you better things this year x

". . .and the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and JOYFUL, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home."
Wendell Berry